Search FAQs

Search with the words, title fragments or dialogue you remember, but keep in mind that Filmot matches indexed text rather than the meaning of a phrase. Spelling and transcription differences can affect results.

These techniques help with approximate wording or inaccurate automatic subtitles:

• Exact phrase: use double quotes, such as "vaccine efficacy", when you know the wording.
• Nearby words: use "w1 w2"~N or w1 NEAR/N w2 when the words may be separated or occur in a different order.
• Alternative spellings or word forms: join variants with |, such as colour | color. Quote alternatives containing several words.
• Context: combine variants with nearby words to reduce false positives, for example (filmot | philmont | philmot | filmont) NEAR/15 (youtube | subtitles | captions | transcript | transcripts).

Examples for terms frequently transcribed in different ways include:

• "CRISPR cas9" | "CRISPR-Cas9" | "CRISPR Cas 9" | "crisper cas9" | "krisper cas 9"
• "mRNA" | "messenger RNA" | "messenger R.N.A."
• "CO2" | "carbon dioxide" | "CO 2"

To search title words, use Metadata search, or combine subtitle words with the Video Title field under Filters. The ? icon beside the search box opens the syntax guide.

Filmot's index is incomplete and contains existing caption text rather than audio. If a video has no collected transcript, or was never indexed, a remembered spoken quote cannot find it through subtitle search.

Yes. Open Metadata search, available under Metadata in the menu. Enter the title words or a quoted phrase, then combine them with filters such as channel, detected language, manual subtitle languages and upload dates. Title search supports the same operators as subtitle search, for example "radio telescope" or "stem cells" (therapy | treatment).

Metadata search does not require indexed subtitles, captions or transcripts and has no minimum view count. It can therefore find a known video even when its spoken content is not searchable.

Subtitle search matches caption text, so a phrase appearing only in a video's title will not match the main subtitle query. To require both title words and spoken words, use subtitle search with the Video Title field under Filters in the left sidebar. Both conditions must match the video.

Use the channel lookup box on the home page, subtitle search or metadata search. Type the channel's name, @handle or UC channel ID, then select the matching suggestion so it becomes a green channel tag. Selecting the suggestion ensures that you search the intended channel; unselected text can automatically resolve to several matching channels.

With the channel selected:

• Enter a spoken word or quote in subtitle search to match its automatic or manual captions.
• Use the title box in Metadata search to match video titles.
• Use subtitle search's Video Title field under Filters to require both title words and matching subtitle text.

You can also start directly on the channel's Filmot page. The search box below the channel card has Auto for automatic subtitles, Manual for manually created captions and a title button for video titles. Each search is restricted to that channel.

Additional filters combine with the channel and query. Remove an active filter with the x on its tag when you want to broaden the results.

Filmot collects and stores original video titles. It does not keep translated versions of titles, so title searches use the original text recorded for each video.

Filmot Title Restorer is an optional browser userscript that displays historical titles and thumbnails for supported video IDs inside YouTube playlists. It uses metadata previously collected by Filmot.

Open Title Restorer under More and follow the Script Page link. Installation requires a userscript manager such as Tampermonkey; review the extension's permissions before installing it.

The script works only for records Filmot already knows. It does not recover video or audio, reconstruct playlists or create missing metadata. To request review of sensitive or outdated stored information, use the contact form.